“I’ve been having a recurring dream: I’m in Brazil during Carnaval. I’m in the middle of a street surrounded by thousands, dancing, sweating, singing, drinking. I wake up. I dream again, I’m in Brazil during Carnaval, but I can’t make it to the party. I can’t find anyone to go with. My phone breaks. I can’t call an Uber. I’m trapped in longing. I wake up, and go with my days with a strong sense of fear of missing out not only on a party, but on parts of myself.”

Work-in-progress that stems from my ongoing relationship with Carnaval, how it shapes my culture, social life, and movement identity. Since immigrating to Canada eighteen years ago, I have missed the annual celebration in Recife, my hometown. Carnaval has become, for me, a site of longing, desire, and absence.

For those less familiar with Brazilian culture, Carnaval holds a central, yet complex and often contradictory, place in our identity. It’s a time when people surrender to collective joy, sensorial excess, and bodily pleasure, but it also serves as a temporary escape: a one-week suspension of reality. Importantly, Carnaval is not a single unified event; it manifests differently across regions of Brazil and is far more layered than the usual imagery of sequins and feathers suggests. In Recife, it takes place in the streets, where parades blend folklore, music, and popular art into an exuberant, communal expression.

Choreography: Luciana F. D’Anunciação
Performers: Ysadora Dias and Luciana F. D’Anunciação
Music: Marcelo Campello and Hugo Medeiros

with the support of Young Lungs Dance Exchange.

For for info on our residency please visit: https://younglungs.ca/luciana-freire/